OUR LETTER HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12002, 26 June 1902, Page 1 (Supplement)

OUR LETTER HOME.

The regrettable news received yesterday that the Coronation of His Majesty King Edward VII. had been postponed on account of our Sovereign's illness, inflicted a mental blow upon the whole community from which we have not yet recovered. Directly the intelligence •was circulated in Auckland intense excitement was manifested throughout the city, and the Herald Office and various news distributing cen- • ires were besieged by anxious crowds eager to read the latest bulletins regarding His Majesty's condition. His Worship Hie Mayor [promptly issued a message to the citizens postponing to-day's holiday and all the festivities which had been arranged in connection with it. Preparations on a very complete scale had been made for fitting rejoicings, but all have been postponed with unanimity. The celebration of peace was 'made the occasion for general rejoicing in Auckland, and on Sunday, June 8, appropriate sermons were preached in the various churches of all denominations.

The session of Parliament opens on Tuesday next. July i. and as is customary prior to the departure of the Northern members for Wellington, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce met them in conference on June 19 and discussed subjects of special interest to the North, which may be brought before Parliament during the session. The subjects discussed were: (1) Completion of the.Main Trunk line between 'Auckland and Wellington. (-2) authorisation of the Main Trunk line North of Auckland. (3) necessity for early appointment of Maori Councils to secure the opening up of native lands. (4) protest against the limitation of the tenure of Crown lands | opened for settlement, and (5) daily mail service between Onehunga and New Plymouth. There were no resolutions proposed. Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce spoke ten each subject, and all the members present were afforded an opportunity of expressing their views on all the subjects brought forward. I The Acting-Premier, Sir Joseph Ward, in a recent speech said that the work of the coming session was iiii a very forward state. In the last session of Parliament too much •should not be attempted. If they kept the finances in sound position, and laid out a practical, progressive and a prudent railway, lands and roads policy, they would be doing what was of paramount importance to the colony. The legislation to be submitted would, while dealing with many important matters, be found to be within the limits of practical procedure.. The people of Auckland, both members of the Church of England and those outside her communion, heard with much regret that the venerable Primate of New Zealand (Bishop Cowie), at a meeting of the Standing Committee, held on June 12, intimated to that body that, acting under the advice of two medical men, he had thought it his duty to forward the resignation of his office of Bishop and Primate to the Bishop of Dunedin, the senior bishop, who, according to Church law, is the -authority appointed to receive any such resignation. We must all be the more grieved at the resignation ■because beneath Bishop Cowie's serene and placid temperament is a strong will and an unusual self-de-votedness, so that his withdrawal from the work which for thirty-three years he has carried on in our midst proclaims a growing physical weakBess that will not be overborne or gainsaid. There is a general movement afoot to make a presentation to the Primate.

The recent calling at this port of "the Japanese warships Hiyei and Kon-go was made the occasion for the interchange of courtesies between the Japanese officers on the fane hand and the civic and military authorities and citizens of Auckland K«n the other. As a return for hospitality extended to them ashore the [Japanese officers gave the leading men of the city a social aboard the Hiyei. The entertainment orovirlpd was of a unique character, including "exhibitions of Japanese sports and feats of arms. During the evening .Captain Iwasaki, of: the Hiyei, .masted our King, and Mr. Geo. Fmvlds, M.H.R., returned the compliment by proposing the toast of the Emperor of Japan. Both speakers made appropriate allusion to the : treaty which has made Japan and Great Britain allies in the Far East. The warships left Auckland on June 16, and will take part in the Coronation festivities at Fiji. The Auckland Harbour Board have decided, on the motion of Mr. J. H. .tVitheford, M H.K., to invite applications for the position of engineer to the Board, returnable on DeI cember 1 next, at a salary of £1000 per annum. p The question of the introduction of Bible-teaching in schools was thesubject of almost unanimous pulpit reference en Sunday, June 15. The clergy for the most part were strong advocates for the innovation, though there were one or two Avho pointed , : out serious obstacles. § The Arbitration Court is being made the subject of attack by the "Wellington Trades Council. At a decent meeting of that body a delegate made a violent speech denouncing the action of the Court in some •of its interpretations of the Act. It Ipas finally decided to hold a conferI ence of unions, and this will even--1 tuate two weeks hence. , ,'The Hon. C. H. Mills, Commissioner of Customs, recently concluded a tour of the north of Auckland districts. Right through the * tour the Minister broke new ground, and the information gained by the ion. gentleman, and by those of his colleagues who have lately visited *he districts, should do much to toake the conditions and potentialities of the Northern counties better known at the seat of Government. : On Sunday, June 15, a section of the temperance party made a strong *ttack upon Mr. Tiios. Hutchison,

fw'w\ IS ca P a «ity as chairman of the Waitemata Licensing Committee. Securing the consent of several ministers of Nonconformist churches Mr. Geo. Fowlds, M.H.R., and others read a sworn statement from the pulpits of several of the churches alter evening sen-ice. accusing Mr Hutchison of having exhibited marked bias and unfairness in his treatment of witnesses appearing before him in connection with an application for a hotel license at Maungaturoto. The license was granted and the temperance party allege that it was so granted in the face of a four-fifths opposing majority. As a result of their protest the matter has gone before the Minister for Justice.

His Excellency the Governor (Lord Ranfurly), whose strong appeal to New Zealanders for the erection of a home for veterans (in whom he has ever taken the deepest interest) Ave referred to in our last letter Home., has received a cable from London informing him that Her Royal Highness Princess Christian, president of the Incorporated Soldiers and Sailors' Help Society, entirely appproves of the establishment of such a home and that she will place the matter before her committee with the least delay possible. His Excellency has expressed the hope that this home for those to whom: the Empire owes much will be quickly established, and says it would be a fitting memorial to the many who have lost their lives in South Africa, and would also commemorate in a lasting and useful manner His Majesty's Coronation. The subject was discussed at a public meeting of citizens convened by the Mayor (Mr. Alfred Kick!) on Monday last, and a strong and representative committee was formed to consider the Avhole question and report. Subsequent to the meeting the Mayor received a telegram from His Excellency the Governor stating that he had placed the matter of preparing rough plans for the home in hand ; also that General Babington had joined the committee as treasurer and that an account had been opened in the Bank of New Zealand, Wellington.